Ear Speaker crackling issue with DROID phones?

[leehardballer12]

The earpiece on my Z30 (that just replaced my broken Z30) has started 'crackling' like my Z10, 9850, 9550 before them. I've discovered I can upgrade and have been checking out the DROID Turbo. I am wondering if the DROID devices have similar earpiece issues. I'm hoping that the more 'rugged' build of these devices prevents that issue. I work in an area where the phone would be exposed to metal dust. This is a common problem where I work. Just wondering if maybe Motorola does something better, at least on the DROID line of devices.

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[Rukbat]

I'm hoping that the more 'rugged' build of these devices prevents that issue. I work in an area where the phone would be exposed to metal dust.

Not in an area where the air is filled with metallic dust. (One of my jobs as a tech, years ago, was removing iron filings from the speakers of walkie talkies that were being used in high iron construction. A filter that will keep that dust out will keep sound in.)

About the only thing I've ever found that will protect a phone from metallic dust (and that's if it's not molecular size particles) is a pair of plastic zip baggies. Put the phone into one and zip it closed. Put that one, zipper first, into the second one and zip it closed. You can still hear through that plastic.

Metal particles short electronics, so you can't make a jack with a hole in it (and there has to be one, to plug the earphone plug into) that's immune to metallic dust. And, as the dust moves around inside the jack, it shorts and unshorts, causing crackling. Air movement does it, the natural muscular action of your hand, even if you're holding it still, does it, even clamping the phone onto a seismograph table will cause it if the particles are small enough. Nothing is infinitely stable. Even the Brownian motion of air molecules, if the metallic particles are small enough, will cause crackling. And cellphones don't work so well in absolute vacuum.

 

[leehardballer12]

Yeah, most guys in the weld and grind area where I work have been putting their phones in Zip Lock baggies, but now phones have gotten too big for that! Lol. It's not near as bad in the area where I work, but there is still exposure even through my pocket. I had my original Z30 for several months with no issues, so I was hoping that the issue had been resolved somehow. Is there a best way to remove the metal dust from a cell phone speaker?

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[glazedfaith]

Is there a best way to remove the metal dust from a cell phone speaker?

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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Also, phones have not gotten so big they won't fit in a Ziploc bag. You're just not using a big enough one. When phones are too big for gallon size bags, then we can talk about Hefty.

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[leehardballer12]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Also, phones have not gotten so big they won't fit in a Ziploc bag. You're just not using a big enough one. When phones are too big for gallon size bags, then we can talk about Hefty.

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I was referring to the small baggies at the shop where I work that used to fit smartphones perfectly. It worked out nicely since the fit was snug, and you could still operate the touch screen through the plastic. I also was using the term Ziploc generically....no way am I going to mess around with putting my phone in a gallon sized baggie and then put that whole mess in my pocket, LOL. I'll start taking my phone apart and replacing speakers before I resort to that....it seems like some phones are more susceptible to that kind of damage than others, and was wondering if the DROID line was one of the least susceptible ones.

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